Just Say the Magic Words
by ZGory
Summary: Mjolnir, lightning, and a little magic are all used by Thor to save his kid brother. Iron Man tags along.


**A/N: **This is a combination of two kinkmeme prompts. One asking for Thor to kick the ass of whoever actually did try and hurt kid Loki, and the other asking for Thor to use a simple spell to save kid Loki's life.

* * *

Loki knows something is wrong as the grip on his arm tightens. He does not allow himself to show his alarm and goes into a default defensive mode: make light of the situation.

"Curious how we have been traveling down this road and have still not come upon Asgard yet."

His observation is met with a sharp slap to the face which snaps his head to the side. He holds the burning cheek with a shaking hand and looks at the woman with a confused horror in his eyes.

Gone is her calm countenance which projected a somewhat calming aura. Gone is the smiling visage of the woman who had actually intervened on his behalf and rescued him from an escalating confrontation with one of Asgard's "finest". Now a bitter sneer mars her face, and her nails absolutely dig into the flesh of his under arm.

"You will not speak unless spoken to, Liesmith," seethes the woman. "That poisonous tongue of yours will wag no longer if I have my way."

As the trust he had blindly placed rapidly burns away, Loki does something that he does best: run away.

He gives her a cheeky smile despite the pain that burns inside of him. "My tongue does not wag," he counters as he places a well aimed kick at the woman's shin. She releases him with a yelp, and he skips away from her grasp. "But I have a hell pup whose tail does," he explains airily before beating a hasty retreat.

He believes himself to have gotten away when the very roots in the ground spring forth from the dirt to wrap around his ankles. He slams into the earth on his knees and twists in the hold. He hurriedly tries to pry off the offensive plants but unfortunately, more roots fly up to bind his wrists. The more he fights the tighter the roots go and the more they cover. Soon, he is a small writhing bundle in the dirt.

Soon enough, his savior turned captor appears before him with a mirthless grin plastered to her face. "I forgot your propensity for underhanded tricks. Well that shall no longer be a problem very soon."

He wants to make a cheeky comment about how she is one to talk about tricks as she lured him all this way. The root wrapped around his throat says otherwise though, and he can only splutter as she grabs the back of his tunic and drags him to whatever intended destination she has in store.

* * *

"Where. Is. He?"

Each word is punctuated by a rumble in the air, and Tony is not in the least bit surprised when JARVIS informs him of the sudden electrical storm that has developed. The question is asked in such an even tone despite Thor's tense and imposing posture. This is the perfect picture of "calm before the storm"

The battered form before them spits a wad of blood out to the side and keeps his grim demeanor. "You are better off not knowing, Thunderer."

In the blink of an eye, another of the man's appendages is smashed with the hefty weight of Mjolnir, and Tony winces as he hears a bone snap along with a throaty cry of pain.

"Do not suppose to tell me what I should and should not know," growls Thor right in the man's face. He grips the man's collar and prepares his hammer for another blow. Having once been in the same positions before, Tony feels very anxious for the Asgardian. "Now tell me what you have done with Loki!"

The man grits his teeth in resistance. "Do your worst, my prince, for I know not where your wretched brother is and would not tell you even if I did."

Tony would call 'BS', but he doesn't know who in their right mind would continue to lie after getting a taste of Mjolnir much less risk a second round. Though, he has always thought of Asgardians being a little off their rocker for the whole "revel in battle" mentality.

Thor glares at the man for a long time before throwing him down with disgust written all over his face. "He speaks the truth," grumbles the god darkly. Another clap of thunder shakes the air.

"He can't possibly that far off," reasons Tony. "We'll just fly around in a continually larger radius, and we're bound to find him sooner or later."

The magpie on Thor's shoulder caws as if agreeing, and Thor gives a tense nod. Tony starts to lift off when the warrior on the ground laughs through his bloody teeth. That is usually never a good sign.

"I pray the child is dead long before you reach him and that his rotten soul is lost to you—"

The rest of his 'well wishes' are cut off as continuous bolts of lightning slam into his body. His mouth opens in a silent cry, and every muscle in his muscular frame seizes up violently. When Thor is done and lowers Mjolnir with a heated huff, Tony has to turn away from the now thoroughly charred corpse. Tony is thankful his face plate keeps him from smelling the body.

The blasted bird clucks in what sounds like a rebuke if animals were capable of that.

Tony prays for whoever was crazy enough to nab the kid for Thor's mercy is non-existent at this point.

* * *

Loki ceases his struggles as he is unceremoniously tossed into a translucent chest and the lid closes overhead. He breathes deeply and watches as the woman places a palm over where the lid meets the chest and a rune momentarily glows before fading away. His brow furrows in confusion, and he kicks up at the lid overhead. It budges not in the slightest, and now he is aware of how narrow his confinement is. He continues to breathe in deeply rather than give in to panic.

He tentatively toes and elbows the material surrounding him. Though it looks like glass, it is much thicker, and he will not be able to force his way out. The proximity of this chest—he refuses to think of it as a coffin—also makes him worry about outside forces. When Thor comes (and he WILL come for this is the one thing Loki is absolutely sure about), his first instinct will be to smash the container holding him. Unfortunately, there is a great chance Mjolnir will also end up smashing through him. But perhaps his brother will ascertain the same things he has and will be able to practice restraint.

His attention turns back to his captor who is staring malevolently back at him. He does not give her the satisfaction of appearing frightened or defeated. He merely stretches his head back (though he has to reconsider this move due to that remaining pesky root that is no longer choking but certainly a nuisance) and sets his mouth into a determined line. He also continues to try and wriggle out of his binds, but those remains steadfast.

He huffs a little in frustration. "If you are intending to suffocate me, you have another thing coming. I'm quite resistant to that," he bluffs. "That would also take awhile, so would you mind fetching me a magazine while we wait for that to happen?"

His simple request is met with a slight twitch in his captor's eye. She brings her hand to the side of the chest and begins to trace patterns into it. Once again, runes appear in the wake of her fingers only to disappear. His forehead wrinkles as he understands what she is casting for, but then his eyes widen as he rustles around and suddenly feels his back drenched in water. Within seconds, his small container fills with water streaming from an indeterminable source. It goes from his back being drenched to his shoulders half-submerged. Soon enough, he shoves his head up as much as he can to suck in adequate amounts of air.

The embittered woman watches her handiwork with a removed sort of satisfaction. He refuses to give her the satisfaction of an outward show of panic. Her attention is then drawn by the very loud clap of thunder which vibrates all around him. He counts himself fortunate to have a small pocket of air from which to draw from when he accidentally releases his breath in a gasp of surprise at the gathering of dark clouds that blot out the sky.

'_I knew he would come._'

* * *

"So what exactly are we up against?" Tony would usually be fine with flying into the fray of things, but all of this magic mumbo jumbo was giving him serious pause.

"The wrath of a scorned woman," mutters Thor.

Tony shivers. "Faced a few of those in my time. Not fun. Think I'd rather go another round with an alien army actually." He gets no response from Thor which is fine by him as the mood shift is more for his own sake than for Thor's what with the smoking body right behind them and gathering storm clouds above them.

"So what's the deal? You leave her at the altar or something?"

The slight to Thor's honor goes uncharacteristically unanswered though that damn magpie seems to click its beak in distaste.

"Lady Ellisif takes vengeance for the loss of her husband who was killed in the line of duty."

"Well isn't that a good thing to you guys? Dying honorably in battle and all that so you can go party in the afterlife 24/7?"

"Nay, he did not die in battle but was slain while on guard duty. 'Twas an unexpected attack from what we could surmise. The perpetrators were slain in their turn, and recompense was made."

"But obviously, your lady wasn't satisfied," concludes Tony. He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "But what does that have to do with you and your brother?"

Thor's brow darkens, and his jaw tightens. "I fear that it is only Loki that she has set her sights on. For you see, friend Stark, Hrafni served as a guard for my father's treasure vault. He was slain by frost giants who had snuck in and been concealed. The knowledge of who did this was not made known until recently, and she immediately asked for his head on a pike. This request was adamantly denied."

Tony's stomach takes a turn as the lightbulb goes off. "Loki," he says quietly.

"Aye. One of the many sins he had committed in his past life," sighs Thor. "But with his new form came a new chance. A clean slate as you Midgardians say. It was made known that any who took ire against him for his past transgressions would answer to me." He jerks his head in the direction of the charred corpse. "Apparently my words were taken lightly, and there are those who wish to be made an example of," grits the god.

Tony gulps in agreement.

In the span of one second, Thor's posture suddenly shifts, and his body goes even more rigid. His head snaps to the right, and he holds his hammer in that direction. His head nods tersely, and his mouth settles into a grim line. The hammer whirls in a circle that becomes an indistinguishable blur to Tony's eyes.

"Now she has unwittingly made herself known to me, and she will see my word reinforced," roars Thor as he takes off. With a huff, Tony pursues and nearly has to push his thrusters to full capacity to keep up.

"JARVIS, note for the future. No fucking with the tyke unless I want to know Mjolnir on a painfully intimate level."

They touch down on a barren field (Oklahoma seems to be full of these) before a woman crouching besides a weird looking chest. His sensors indicate another life form inside of the container. Then his camera zooms in, and his eyebrows disappear into his hairline.

Loki lies inside of the chest with his cheeks slightly bulged out and roots wrapped around his limbs. His eyes widen with what looks like hope at the sight of the both of them before they squeeze shut. As a bubble escapes from his lips, Tony realizes the kid's trapped in water. He immediately has his hands up with his repulsors ready to blast this woman away.

"Lady Ellisif, I would suggest that you release my brother from this prison immediately," commands Thor through clenched teeth.

"This is no prison, Thunderer," drawls the woman as she pats the chest, "but a thoughtful wedding present that now shall serve as his coffin." As she spits out this last word, Tony notices her etching things into the chest and a weird glowing follows her fingers only to quickly disappear. "And I intend to watch the light leave his eyes as he chokes on his last—"

She goes flying with an 'OOMPH' as Tony fires into her chest. "Have it your way," he quips.

Thor nods to him in thanks before making purposeful steps towards the container. Before he gets too close, roots shoot up from the ground to wrap around his large ankles. Thor swipes away at them, but they grow quicker than he is able to fight them back.

Tony goes to help when he feels the same happening to himself. He shoots blast after blast at the stupid things, but they will not stop. He hears a roar of frustration from Thor and in a flash of blinding light, a large crater surrounds the thunder god as well as a plethora of flaming roots. Not to be outdone, Tony aims his own small contingent of firearms at the blasted plants. Temporarily freed, he lifts off to hover so as not to get caught again.

Now they descend up on the chest with urgency. Loki's eyes open, and he stares up at Thor with such hope in his face. Thor tries to open it up but can find no visible seams, and his attempts to crush the sides with his bare hands do not work either. He bangs the surface as hard as he can, and it shows no sign of cracking while Loki jerks from inside. Tony places his palm against the side and attempts to cut a hole, but even his lasers leave no mark.

"Do you guys really have to magically reinforce everything?" Maybe more firepower would do the trick, but the narrow confinement makes it too risky to try out as he runs the risk of blowing up Loki as well as the chest. And hurting the kid is definitely the last thing he ever wants to do after what he's seen today. Thor seems to come upon the same realization as the grip he maintains on his hammer turns a deathly white.

He presses his forehead against the transparent surface. "We will get you out, Loki. I swear it."

Loki copies the gesture and nods his head slowly. Another air bubble escapes him, and his lips purse tightly together.

The woman breathes heavily as she drags herself to an upright position. "Do not bother to comfort the child. He will meet his end today as he should!"

"It is not for you to take such decisions into your own hands!" roars Thor as he faces her and instinctively spreads himself so as to act as a barrier between her and the chest. "This boy is not the man who wronged you and should not be treated as such!"

"The little bastard should have never returned!" screeches the woman. "Why could you not leave well enough alone?"

Tony sense this is a trigger question for Thor as the god's body absolutely goes rigid at the question. With a shout, Thor flings the hammer from his grasp and lets it slam into the woman's torso where it flings her backwards and lands on top to trap her in the dirt.

Within the container, Loki starts squirm, and his face goes through a series of expression signaling his need for air.

His small body kicks out against the walls, and though the sound is dull, it has Thor desperately crouching over the enchanted box. He once again searches for any sort of secret button or latch that he may have previously missed. In the absence of one, he goes for banging his fist against it in pure frustration. Even turning his lasers all the way up (which does run the slight risk of slicing the kid inside, but Tony won't let Thor know that), Tony still can't make a scratch.

More air bubbles escape from the young god's mouth, and his hands quickly scrabble at the lid of his container. His movements become even more jerky, and he kicks at the chest some more.

"Don't you know any magic words like 'Open Sesame' or 'Alohomora' or some weird Elvish shit?"

Thor's murderous gaze tells him this is no time for joking, so Tony explains himself immediately.

"I just saw her scrawling weird glowing gibberish on the thing and figured it was magic."

Thor's brows furrow together before they widen in revelation. He squeezes his eyes shut as if in concentration. Without a word, he drags his thumb across the surface, and a glowing light follows afterwards as if to trace his scrawl. He pushes at the top, but nothing happens. He growls before sketching something different. When he goes for the lid this time, it lifts off with ease, and water rushes out from the top.

Thor quickly reaches in and pulls his brother out. Loki splutters as he spits out a mouthful of water and starts to cough violently. The thunder god pats him firmly on the back and makes quick work of cutting off the roots that bound him as well as gently easing off the one that had encircled Loki's neck. When the young god shivers, Thor quickly rips off his own cape and wraps it around him despite Loki's protests that he's fine. Seemingly unconvinced that his cape is doing the job, Thor kneels down and adds his arms to the mix though Tony knows that it's just to hold his little brother closer.

Loki's protests soon quiet down, and he even leans into his brother's hold. "I knew you would come," he muffles into the joint of Thor's neck. Thor rubs his back as if in agreement.

Loki backs away a little to look his brother in the eye. "But how did you find me?"

"Mjolnir has many uses such as locating wayward brothers," he explains with a ruffling of Loki's hair. The little god squirms at the disheveling of his hair but makes no move to fix it. "As for knowing about your initial distress—"

A caw from nearby has all three heads jerking in the direction of the chest where the magpie perches on the edge. It eyes all three of them in a way that Tony feels would be insulting if done by a set of human eyes. On an animal, it's just unsettling.

"You've really taught this thing the whole Lassi routine," jokes Tony as he stretches a hand out to pet the bird. The thing snaps its beak at him which has him withdrawing his hand though it is safely encased in his suit.

Thor nods though it's more about giving the bird its due rather than understanding the allusion. "Aye. The bird led us to the warrior," Thor spits this title as if it's a curse, "who accosted you, and I made my displeasure known to him."

"Definitely never screwing with you again, kid," chimes in Tony. He's already made sure to send the video of what's transpired to Fury so that Loki's safety can be made a top priority.

The realization of what Thor has done leaves Loki a bit dazed as the wide-eyed look returns to his face. When he nestles into Thor's hold, he practically presses himself into the larger god's front. Thor is only too happy to oblige with a kiss to the top of the kid's head. "I take my oaths very seriously."

Loki unexpectedly titters into Thor's neck. "Then perhaps you could mind your spelling next time."

Thor goes red, and Tony remembers something. "Oh yeah. What did you manage to scratch into the magic box from hell?"

Loki turns his head to address Tony properly. "It was simply a chest that took commands from runes traced into it."

"So I simply commanded for it to open," explains Thor with a flush.

Tony nods his head in appreciation, and a bit in surprise at this revelation that Thor does know a bit about magic even if it is just the barest of bones. Then he sees the smile creeping along Loki's face.

"You need to relearn your runic alphabet if you could flub a spelling of 'unlock'," teases Loki.

"I still got you out," points out Thor.

Loki smiles cheekily at him and leans against his brother while drawing the cloak more tightly around him. "My hero."

Thor sighs and picks his brother up. Though he tries to wear the face of exasperated older brother, the contentment of the moment breaks through. He summons Mjolnir to his hand and asks Tony to watch over Lady Ellisif's prone form until guards come for her. Tony locks his missiles on her and gives Thor the okay.

Then with a whirl of his hammer, the two brothers are off, and Tony really cannot begrudge them this moment.


End file.
